Infant medicine self-feeder



Feb. 12 1963 D. l.. MncHELL 3,077,279

INFANT MEDICINE SELF-FEEDER Original Filed Dec. 5. 1956 v 70 8 64 I74l`n`\ 6? .1 f6 f l j l 56 f4 Fig 4 72 6 'INVENTOR.

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sans? Eiatented Feb. l2, 1953 SAY/7,279 WANT l'viEBICiNE SELF-FEEDERBonita L. Mitchell, 2096 Benson Garden Bird., rnnha, Nebr. Continuationof appiication Ser. No. @ef-%, Dec. 5, 1956. This application Det. 19,1959, Ser. No. 34S,l7 1 Ciaim. (Cl. 21S-l) This invention relates to adevice for the giving of medicine to infants which has problems quiteunique aS compared with bottle feeding of milk to infants.

When medicine is fed to a baby with a spoon the babll frequently knocksthe spoon away, spilling valuable medicine.

Also use of a spoon is very inaccurate because spoons are, as a rule,seldom of standard size.

It is therefore an object of my invention to provide the Worlds firstmedicine nipple having volume calibrations relating specifically to thevolume of the space between the lower end opening of the nipple and thevarious calibrations.

A particular object is to provide an infants medicine self-feeder whichis adapted to remain in a -babys mouth during most of the sleepingmovements of a tiny baby and while the baby is unattended whereby thesleeping infant can slowly drink the medicine in between naps and evensubstantially without awakening. This is attained through my concept ofan infants self-feeder of such a short total length from its bottom endto its upper end and particularly being suiiiciently short in height andof suiciently little weight in those parts of the feeder which are abovethe nipple and the feeder being otherwise so shaped and Weighted yas notto be excessively top heavy so that an infant'can easily hold theself-feeder in its mouth for the gradual drinking of the medicine by thebaby while unattended.

A particular object is to provide the worlds irst babys medicine feederhaving calibrations on a flexible nipple. I am aware that medicinedroppers and other rigid devices have been calibrated heretofore andthat one is shown in the Italian patent to Savary, Patent No. 501,932,printed Dec. 1955. However such a device is not adapted to be held by ababy in its mouth because it lacks a flexible resilient nipple as isvital because of familiarity to small children because of its similarityto the mothers breast. I am also aware that the common baby bottle has ailexible nipple and that the bottle in a sense functions as a cap.However such nipples are never calibrated as iS necessary for my newconcept and use, a medicine feeder specifically.

Also the commonbaby bottle is much too long and top heavy to serve as aself-feeder capable of being held by an infant in its mouth unattendedas is one of my main concepts.

This application is a continuation of the applicants co-pending patentapplication Serial 626,435, filed December 5, 1956, and now abandoned.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies an elongated nipple having a small mouth engaging portion ofsoft rubber and a larger body portion of relatively heavy rubber, acontainer in which the nipple is positioned, and a cap for gripping arim on the large portion of the nipple for supporting the nipple in thecontainer and for holding the nipple in use.

Other features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing description taken in connection withthe drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is an exploded View showing the cap, nipple and container withparts broken away and with remaining portions of the parts shown insection;

FiG. 2 is a side elevational view of a medicament aclministering nippleassembly with the nipple shown in `broken lines therein;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section through the assembly with the parts asshown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a cross section through the upper portion of a medicamentadministering nipple assembly, illustrating a modification wherein thecontainer is provided with a `collar that is threaded on the containerand on which the cap is threaded for retaining the nipple in position asit is `filled and used.

While one embodiment of the invention is illustrated in theabove-referred-to drawings, it is to ybe understood that they are merelyfor the purpose of illustration, and that various changes inconstruction may be resorted to in the course of manufacture in orderthat the invention may be utilized to the best advantage according tocircumstances which may arise, without in any manner departing from thespirit and intention of the device, which is to be limited only inaccordance with the appended claim. And while there is stated theprimary field of utility of the invention, it remains obvious that itmay be employed in any other capacity where-in it may be foundapplicable.

in the accompanying drawings, and in the following specification, thesame reference characters are used to designate the same parts andelements throughout, and in which the numeral It) refers to theinvention in its entirety, numeral l2 indicating a nipple having a smalllowerI portion ld of thin resilient material, such as rubber, and havingradially disposed slits lo therein, and a large upper portion 18 ofrelatively thick resilient material, such as rub-ber or plastic, numeral2i) indicating a container hav.

ing a concave base 22, and numeral 24- indicating a cap. having a base26 with a rim 28, U-shaped in cross section, a peripheral flange Si!frictionally retained on the upper edge of the container and extendedfrom the rim 28, and a handle 32 extended from the rim 2S, and a handle32 extended from the base 25.

The large upper portion 18 of the nipple is provided with an annularring 3d that extends outwardly to engage the inner surface of thecontainer wall, then upwardly to provide an inner cylindrical portion 36from which an annular ring 38 extends, and which is connected by theannular ring to a cylindrical flange 4f) which forms a rim at the openend of the nipple.

The flange dit is positioned in an annular recess i2 in the rim 2S ofthe cap Zd, as shown in FIGURE 3, and when it is desired to fill thenipple with medicament or the like the nipple is positioned in thecontainer 2t? and the cap removed. A shoulder 4d at the lower end of theflange dit rests upon the upper edge of the container wall,

`and after `a measured amount of medicament is deposited in the nipple,until it reaches one of the graduations do,

cap is replaced with lthe flange dit nested in the recess d2. The base26 of ti e cap is provided with an opening d@ providing a vent tofacilitate drawing the medicament from the nipple.

The wall of the container 2i?, which is also formed of transparentmaterial, is provided with graduations Si?, representing teaspoonsful ortablespoonsful, or parts thereof, as indicated by the numeral 52.

The graduations 52 (FEGURE 2) can be called calibrations and theteaspoonsful or tablespoonsful 52 can be called indicia, and bothindicate the volume of the nipple in the space from the calibration 4tothe lower end at the slits lo, and each are spaced vdifferent distancesfrom the lower end of the nipple.

In the design shown in 17`IGURE 4, the upper end of the wall of acontainer 5d is threaded and an internally threaded fiange 56 of acollar 58 is threaded thereon. The collar is provided with an innerannular fiange 6i) and an internally threaded cylindrical wall 62extends up- YA nipple 72 used in the container shown in FIGURE isprovidedwith an annular flange .74 and .an annularV .bead k76 on theouter. surface of the nipple and spaced fromthe .ange4 7d providesa.recess 78 into which the inne-rjedgefof the flange 7d provides arecess '78v into whiclrthe inner edge of the iiangc'stl extends.` 'Withthe inner edgeof the `flange 160 inthe recess'78 andthe peripheral edgeof the flange 7d held'by the' flange `of the cap 64 the nipple issecurely held in the collar and cap 'so' thatit may readily b'e held bybandas it is inserted in the mouthsoflan infant inuse, and with'the caprel# inoved the nipple is s upported'in aniinverted position tofacilitateplacing medicament therein. l

" The nipple is made of rubbenplastic, or4 other suitable flexible'or'resilient' material; yand as'stated heretoforeythe small portion'isofjrelatively thin material so'thatit is soft and the pupperjorlargerVportion is 'of relatively thick or stifjmaterialwherebyl therim hassufficient body or rigidity to provide `holding means ywhenYpositionedon the"container-or nestednthecap.' ""`With-thenipplesubstantiallynealedin -the container it isprotected romdust, dirt,and the like, so that 'after being sterilized thereis` no possibility'of "the `nipple being contaminated'bylc'orning'. incontactwithother'objects'or devices; f"'The` nipple 'shouldbeformed'integr'ally of a single piece of` material. V:Neverthelessit-isbelieved advantageous that the yupper portion ofthe nipple includingkthe flange aor'nars wardl'y from'the fangelri'nlhe device is providedwith a fla larger infants will drink the medicine before they are likelyto turn over' any way.

While the total height l that is preferred is 3 and 5/{52 inches orapproximately 3 and 1/z inches nevertheless the total height fofapproximately four inches or less is also workable, itl-will Aalso beseen'thatA other vvariations in dimensions will serve to substantially Iit the intended operation of -t'ne self-feeder. Y

` It Willbe seen that the essencevoflthe invention is that my medicinefeeder has` a stability against tipping over when the feedenis inIan--infants mouth unsupported, .which is substantially that of afeederhaving the following characteristics: arnaximum' height or lengthof feeder,

' Whendisposednipple downwardly jof substantially four inches,'preferably substantially three and ivethirtyseconds inches and a totalmaximum width, ofsubstantially one yand one-fourth inches, yandotherwise'sof a construction having an interior of substantially amaximum size'proportional't0l the outside dimensions 4of the feeder 40,-the'cylindrical portion 36and preferably also. the i' annular ringportion Sdi-and'possibly other pcn'tions'witlrv the lexception :ofthesmall lower portion ftd can 'be more stiithanthepreferablyfvery-'flexiblyA lower portion/so that'the 'nippletendsto'y hold it's'po'sition and not collapse at its-upper-'end and issuiiiciently exible'foi' 'comfortable tllselbyeani infantfat the-flowerend. 'e `Since' Athe main-object of the invention is to provide aninfants medicine self-feeder which is adapted to, remain in'its mouth`during-mostiofitheisleep movements of the i y tinybaby wherethe babyisunattended' whereby the lin-I faut canslowly drink the -rnedicine'duringnaps andjeven substantially 'not awakening, -myeinfanfs short?` feeder'is of a totallengthfrom-its'bottom and'at the ltip `of 'its nip- 4 plexto its 'upper end, v-orin'o-ther words fro-inthe bottom' to the top ofthe feeder, as i't'isseeninthe center viewof FIG; 1. This total lengthor height is preferably `short and-the nipple itself is of sufficiently'little-weight: in those parts-ofthe feeder which areabovethe nipple:andtheY .feeder isfotherwise so shapednand weighted so as"not to beexcessively top-heavy so that the infant can easilyhold. y, the.self-feeder in its mouth vfor thegradualldrinking of l ther'ri'edicine'by the baby .while unattended. I prefer' atotalheightorlength `ofthe feederlvas these terms'tarelthusfdescribed/which is 3 andI@g2 inches and -the ,total.width of the ,uppermost portion of. thefeeder. 'fat the flange 40 is preferably 1 and 1A inches, -the widthand'diameter of the larger'upper portion 1S of the nipple being-,land'ls inches.

The lower' tip ,of the nippleitsel'fhas an inner diameter sothat thefeeder is substantiallywithoutv unnecessary weight; the nipple and capportions Aall being formed of substances iof substantially lno 'greaterspecific weight than naturalrubber for avoidance'of-excessivev weight.

- Vt isthoughtthat personsskill'edintheart -to which the inventionrelates will be able tolobtain a clear nnders'tandingofithe--inventionafter considering the descriptio'nfin connectionwiththedrawings. vvTherefore, a-more lengthy' description" is "regardedias unnecessary.

' Changesl-in-shapeysize,` and-rearrangement'of details and parts,`'such y-asvoome Within the purview of` the'invention claimedmayberesorted to in Yactual practice, if c-lesired.

U A-'medicament"feeder-comprisinga tapered exible, resilient'transparent-*nipple having a smaller? lower Yend and' a'larger--upwardly-fopening upper end; -anda Acap removably `attachedltol and substantially sealing saidopen upper endv `of 'said nipple;ysaid -selfeeder being of such a-i-short-len'g'thi-froni its'bottoml-endto'its'upperfend-and being so shaped and weighted as not tobe excessively topheavyJ so thats-an infant canfeasilyhold-itin'itsemouth withlthe smallend 'of the nipple' downward wherebythe l infant can-graduallydrinKLthelrnedicine'while asleep/andunattended without' disturbingt-he infantsirest andthereby avoiding lawakening the '-child-Jandlthe possibility -ofY the c'hilds knt'ncki'ngfthe self-feeder away,- said lnipple -being =hollow witha.-substantiallyf open interior" `for-'receiving and permitting thelfree 'f'tldw fof lmedicineftheretbrough, sa'idnipple'having a lowerIiend-openingrfofdelivery--of fourth-inches; whereby. saidk feederthas'stability 'againsty niedicinaameansf for venting fSaid fself-fe'ederfabove the majonpart 'ofisaidnipple to permitl'sucking off'medicine bythe finfant,vl the:v nipple'.y and -capvportions'fofsaidfeeder both ybeing formedl Tof VLm'aterial:which is fof a: specic gravity notsubstantially greater than natural rubber, said feeder. having an'interior v`of substantiallyl '-a maximum sizeproportional. toits'routsidevdimensions so 'as to `be substantiallywithout:unnecessaryweight, and at leastone calibration spaced from thesaid lower end andindicating the volume of medicine intheinippl'ebetweensaid lower end and Lsaidlcalibration whereby accuracy can beattained, the total height ofssaid feeder whendisposed nipplefdownwardbeing substantially ffour inches or less and the total maximum widthbeing .substantially one `and onetipping Aover whenzthefeeder is in aninfants mouth.

. "References Cited in the levofbthispatent .IUNITED STATES PATENTSRange slslrlrnlrcn-; Mar. 5, s

